By Eddy
Let you and I speak plainly, dear reader.
We follow certain directors because we enjoy their style. While am I not saying directors should not break out and do something different, I also feel that if it isn’t broke don’t fix it. Unfortunately, whether be it the pressures of having a high profile film with A list actors or having to deal with a period piece rather being in a more contemporary setting, Sherlock Holmes comes out as a generic blockbuster action film. Not to say that this is a bad thing, but with such sharp films that Guy Ritchie has done and with the witty multi story style that he has exhibited in the past, the film feels like Guy used the Micheal Bay book of directing films and failed to insert his own flair.
Its understandable that this film would place an inordinate amount of pressure on Guy, with a winter tentpole date and reigning actor of the year Robert Downey Jr. The heat was on to put out a product not necessarily that would be great but rather paletable to the masses, and what better way to do it than watering everything that made the story and the director unique.
Let me explain a bit of what I mean. The movie goes as follows: we meet Holmes (Downey Jr.) in the midst of a case, and follow him in full action to the “stunning conclusion”. We are also introduced to Dr. Watson (Jude Law) and Lord Blackwood (played by Ritchie film regular, Mark Strong). Various, elements interplay in the plot, supernatural, political and scientific and it is up to Holmes to sift through all these challenges in order to come to the heart of the matter and solve the case. A lady love is also included in the story, Irene Adler (Rachel McAdam) who as a con artist and thief was the only person to trick Sherlock Holmes (twice!)
My issue more than anything else, was the utter lack of imagination regarding the plot and the direction. This was basically action movie by numbers, with nothing really outstanding to separate it from the rest of the movies from the past decade. The movie takes no dips or turns, throws in a love interest probably to lure women into the theater (especially since Holmes love life is barely mentioned in depth in the stories) The more I think of it the movie is an action buddy film with a bit of the odd couple thrown in the middle of it. It is all about the interaction between Holmes and Watson and how they feed off each other to solve the crimes. When Watson’s intention to move out and get married with Fiance by Holmes reaction you can honestly take it the wrong way and wonder how “close” they really were alla’ Frodo Baggins and Sam Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Divina hates this reference after we watched a spoof of their relationship at the MTV Movie Awards a million years back).
Downey’s treatment of Holmes is for the most part in line with the short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. Sherlock is a gentleman with a brilliant mind who excentricties are well documented and tolerated by Holmes’ best friend Watson and their maid (Yes, Holmes and Watson do live together, and you thought the Victorian age was prude!) At various points in the film we are given a glimpse of Holmes immense deductive powers, as he employs his skills in various senarious such as getting by guards or in a bare knuckles boxing match. We also see Watson less as a chubby chronicler of Holmes but a partner in crime and a man of action himself, which is a bit closer to his actual description than the one in popular culture which has Watson as a bumbling sidekick more than anything else.
I feel that the show of Holmes’ brilliance were far to few, I wanted to feel that Holmes was the best detective ever, instead of arguing that Adrian Monk or the guys from the Mentalist and Psych might have been just as good. Again it all comes with direction and story. Holmes felt all too human and just a bit crazy, rather than being the arrogant super-being with a soft spot for Watson (to borrow another TV character-he should have been like a more over the top House ). I don’t want you to think that I didn’t like the movie, but I was expecting so much more. In the end, it was a good action movie for the end of the year. I am sure that the box office numbers will warrant a sequel and likely we will be treated to more of the same (one that has been rumored to include Brad Pitt as Professor Moriarty, Holmes arch nemisis. Unfortunately, this will be only be reinforcing uninspired directing and a lifeless plot, I will hold out some hope for an improvement over this film, but I suppose there are worse things that I could be watching at the Theater
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